I went to the Post Office today to mail some fish.
Things didn't go so well.

Our usual Postmistress, a drop-dead gorgeous Shania Twain lookalike, was
gone. I was sad to see that, not only for the view, but because she was
always very helpful when it came to mailing fish. Her replacement was
something less than friendly or helpful.
I had planned to send the fish via Priority mail as usual, but I
couldn't. The new clerk informed me that all fish had to be sent via
Express Mail now, and in a styrofoam container. I didn't believe it, so
I had her doublecheck. She was right. Nuts. Breather bags and styrofoam
don't mix well, you know.

I figured I'd try my luck-in-UPS. I went to the fancy haberdashery
shoppe which also doubled as the local UPS store, but I discovered that
it wasn't handling UPS anymore. They told me that, coincidentally, a
brand-new pack N ship store was opening up this very day across town,
so that's where I went.

The second I walked in the door I knew everything would be fine. There,
standing behind the counter all perky and aiming to please, was the
former Postmistress! I was her very first customer!
I told her the runaround I was getting-in-the Post Office, and she told
me that things had indeed changed recently. she handled shipping for a
few different companies as well as the mail service, so she was able to
compare stuff to each other right in her computer. It turned out that
sending the package via the Express Mail would run 48 bucks and only
PROBABLY get there in two days. UPS could take the same package, no
styrofoam box required, and guaranteed delivery by wednesday. Best of
all, the price was only half what the mail service would have charged!

So, there you have it. It is getting to be the time of the years when
we're going to be shipping lots of fish to and fro, so I thought I'd
give you guys this little heads-up. It might now be better to ship UPS
than through the mail.
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